Team looking to continuing improving down the stretch

In another close game played by the Brush boys basketball team, the Beetdiggers held on to get a 40-36 win at Platte Valley on Tuesday to avenge a buzzer-beating loss back in December.

After Platte Valley led 14-10 in the first quarter, neither team was able to get consistent offense. The Broncos were held to eight points in the second quarter and four in the third, allowing Brush to tie the game up at 26 going into the fourth quarter. Down the stretch, the Beetdiggers were able to gain a slim lead and find a way to hold on for the four point win.

"It was great just to finally get a young team to execute," head coach Tyrone Whipple said on the win.

Whipple said he is still searching for his team to be more efficient on the offensive end, but his team stepped up on defense to get the win over the Broncos. In the first meeting on Dec. 4, Matt Hoffman hit a buzzer-beater to defeat the Beetdiggers, and senior Parker Gilliand also had a big game from the field. The team made a point of emphasis to close out on the two guards and force other players to defeat them on offense.

Brush also had a big night on the boards with 19 defensive rebounds, as seniors Noah Lechman and Aaron Nichols were the primary players to clean up on the glass and allow just one shot from the Broncos for most offensive sets, another factor from the first meeting in December.

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Whipple said the team also needed the bench players to step up with seniors BJ Hirschfeld, Diego Lopez, and Aaron Williams all out due to injury or sickness in Tuesday's game.

Brush improves to 3-7 overall and 2-6 in the Patriot League with the win and Platte Valley drops to 4-6 and 3-5 in league play. The game was the eighth game Brush had played decided by single digits, but only the third time they had come away with a win.

"We have been on the short end of the stick this year," Whipple said. "We haven't executed the way we would like, but were able to do so (against Platte Valley)."

The Beetdiggers now hope the win on Tuesday will spark the team to get a couple wins on the road this weekend in Strasburg on Friday and in Estes Park on Saturday.

Strasburg was one of the close games Brush played earlier in the season that did not go their way. On Dec. 11, a low scoring second quarter hurt the Beetdiggers in a 45-42 defeat on their home floor. There are many similarities from the Platte Valley game Whipple expects Strasburg to try and do in the second meeting Friday night.

"Platte Valley attacked us similar to Strasburg in that they want to take away the inside threat," Whipple said. "We need to be more efficient on offense and protect the ball. We need to execute for four quarters offensively and defensively."

Turnovers are an area Brush has improved of late, bringing their turnovers per game down from 23 to around 15.

Should Brush get wins over Strasburg on Friday and Estes Park on Saturday, the team feels they will find themselves back in position to compete for a better seed in the Patriot League standings to help with qualifying for the postseason.

"Everyone is knocking everyone off in our conference, and if we can win these next two games, we're back in the mix of things," Whipple said.

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